Australian Leader Warns Visitors to U.S. of ‘Murder Mayhem’

Skift Take

U.S. leaders have been spreading fear about the threat of violence in Mexico, despite the very, very low crime rates in tourist destinations. So certainly we can deal with a day or two of similarly mis-placed criticism from an Aussie politician.

The indiscriminate shooting of Christopher Lane, a 23-year-old Australian who was living his dream of studying in the U.S. on a baseball scholarship, has repulsed many in his home country and led to calls for Australian tourists to boycott the United States.

“It is another example of murder mayhem on Main Street,” former Australian deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer told CNN’s Piers Morgan.

“People thinking of going to the USA for business or tourists trips should think carefully about it given the statistical fact you are 15 times more likely to be shot dead in the USA than in Australia per capita per million people.”